Bangladesh · Shell Carving / Jewelry
শাঁখ (Shankha)
Shankhari Bazaar (শাঁখারী বাজার) — 'conch seller's market' — is one of the last surviving conch shell carving districts in the world, occupying a single street in old Dhaka where hereditary Hindu Shankhari families have carved conch shell bangles (shankha) for Hindu married women for at least 400 years. The shankha bangle is the defining marriage ornament of Bengali Hindu women — worn from marriage to widowhood. The carving technique uses a small bow-drill to cut the conch longitudinally into bangle slices, then a rotating lap to grind the bangle to the exact wrist circumference of the wearer. The fit calibration — 'the bangle must slip over the widest knuckle with resistance but sit loose on the wrist' — is assessed by the wearer's own knuckle during the grinding process.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Bangladesh national ICH list; endangered cultural heritage designation
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